Four corners: Crucial homestand for Eastern

Coming up: Thursday vs. North Dakota, 6:05 p.m.; Saturday vs. Northern Colorado, 2:05 p.m.

Outlook: With the end of the regular season just three weeks away, homestands don’t get much bigger than this. EWU is fresh off two road wins and finds itself in a tie for third place in the Big Sky with the same North Dakota team that beat the Eagles 79-71 on Jan. 2 in Grand Forks, N.D. “It was anybody’s game with about two minutes left,” coach Jim Hayford said. Since then, with wing Julian Harrell in the lineup, the Eagles are 7-2 and on a roll. In the last four games, they’re shooting 52 percent from the field while holding opponents to 44 percent. Likewise, North Dakota has won four of five, including a 78-71 win last week over Big Sky co-leader Weber State. Two nights earlier, UND guuard Quinton Hooker had the first triple-double in school history in an easy win over Idaho State. On Saturday, the Eagles face a Northern Colorado team that looks to get back in the race for a top-four finish. The Bears, who beat EWU 96-90 on New Year’s Eve, are getting double-digit scoring from four different players, led by Jordan Wilson (13.8ppg).

EWU leaders

Scoring: Austin McBroom, 20.0 ppg

Rebounding: Venky Jois, 8.8 rpg

Assists: McBroom, 3.3 apg

@srjimallen